Knitting machine



Sept. 10, 1935.

H. H. HOLMES ET AL KNITTING MACHINE Filed Sept.

v 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 10, 1935. H. H. HOLMES ET AL KNITTINGMACHINE Filed Sept. 15, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVIN'I'QI m mjlm Patented Sept. 10, 1935 united states earner OFFIQE.

- KNETTING MACI-HNE Henry Harold Eolmes and Robert Harold Robinson, Leicester, Engiand, assignors to Wildt and Company Limited, Leicester, England, a British company Application September 15, 1931, Serial No. 562,898 in Great Britain October 17, 1930 8 Qlaims. (Cl. 66=-134l) This invention consists in improvements in or that surface by means of a gripper 9. The griprelating to knitting machines and is applied parper comprises a j w- P y mounted .ticularly to improvements in yarn-feeding means at b tw n two arms 2i arran d n n a h :for such machines. side of the arm H of the feeder. The arms 2| The invention provides novel means by which are pivoted at 22 to the arm H and extend rear- 5 the yarn to be newly introduced to the needles W y y n the p v beneath a prin -p is fed to those needles and also a novel means The pp -J w N is of arch rm a s, by which the yarn is severed when it i t b as shown in Figure 1, on the arm H on both sides withdrawn. The invention is particularly applif the p v W it is held in engagement cable to a machine in which Wale-threads therewith. The pp w s rma ly pr ss are supplied to some or all of the needles and may n to he m N by a light Spring 4 coil d a be used in machines such as are described for inits inner end around a p 5 mounted in the stance in prior British Patents Nos. 327,958, 327,- u e t p r n W of t feeder a d avi ts :987, 327,988, and 328,026. free end hooked at 26 over the arms 2i. The

In order that the foregoing and other features Spring holds the forward eXtfemity 0f the gripe s of the present invention may be more clearly unp -l it? htly against the yarn where it eX- derstood a preferred example will now be detends hel/wfleh e y s 3 and scribed with the aid of the accompanying draw- The lower d f the y u is fo med with ings, in whicha laterally extending portion 2i which can be Figure l is a side elevation on an enlarged scale engaged by a a E ement between the of a combined yarn-feeder d, gripper latter and the extension 2i moves the feeder into Figure 2 is a plan of the feeder illustrated in the full-line position illustrated in Fi ure 1 Figure 1; against the pressure of a spring 29 bearing at Figure 3 is a diagrammatic 111 t ti Showone end against the portion iii of the feeder above 5 ing how the groundd splicing-threads are the pivot l8 and at the other end housed withlaid in the needle-hooks, in a socket 38. The latter is clamped by means Figure 4 diagrammatically illustrates the posiof a screw 3i to a stud to the ppe nd f tion of the feeder relatively to the needles and Which the Spring Plate 23 is Secured by bolt 33 the stitch-cam at the moment of introducing a and nut yarn to the needles, and, Between the cam 28 and the end 21 of the feed- 30 Figure 5 illustrates similar rt t th moment or there will be relative movement in the feed of withdrawing the rn nd n i in direction and in the case of a circular machine Like reference numerals indicate like parts in the angular eXteht of e m 23 l Q P the several figures of the drawings. with the angula x en of h s ne dles in the The feeder illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 comneedle-cylinder Over which t is d 130 ,35 prises an upright arm H3 having at its upper end Continue the feed t Y The e may be a portion ll bent over substantially at right ane tha one cam 33 disposed at i t r ls gles to project towards the needles, one of which ammld the 5X15 0f the Cylinder and e cam is shown and designated as 42. The yarn delivery eaeh Of them may hit mhllhted for movement eye 13 is formed at the outer extremity-0f the into and out from the path of the extension 2?.

arm H and other yarn guide eyes i5 and it are When it is desired to hold the feeder in its also provided through which a yarn It is threadf n or inoperative "p n f any l n th ed in the manner shown in Figure 1. of time after it has been moved thereinto by The arm it is pivoted in a bracket H on a pin means of the cam 23, a catch 35 is arranged to Q8. The bracket is secured to or may form part engage above a shoulder formed on the rear of a ring-like support and the yarn-feeder, by edge of the feeder. The catch is spring-urged rocking about the pivot-pin !8, can move the detowards its looking position by the spring I35 so livery eye It towards and away from the neethat immediately the feeder has been retracted les. The feeder is shown in full lines in its reby means of the cam 28 it will engage with the tracted or non-feeding position and the forward shoulder 36 and thus hold the feeder inoperative end portion of it is shown in chain-lines in the aduntil an abutment 3'! is moved into the path of a Vance or feeding position. tail 38 of the catch 35, the latter constituting The yarn I6 where it passes from the feed-eye one arm of a bellcrank lever of which the tail Hi to the eye l3 extends for a short distance along 38 constitutes the other arm. The abutment 3"! an upper surface of the feeder and is held against may be movable into and out from the path of position by the catch 35.

to that of Figure 4,

the tall 38 under any preferred form of pattern control.

When the feeder thus described is to be used as a splicing yarn-feeder for introducing a splicing yarn to the required parts of knitted hose and half-hose the feeder will normally be retained in the inoperative position by means of the catch 35 duri g the knitting of the upper leg and part of the ankle. When the position in the ankle is reached at which the splicing yarn is to be introduced the abutment 37 will be moved into the path of the tail 38 (it being understood that there will be relative rotation about the axis of the machine between these two parts) thereby releasing the catch and permitting the feeder to be advanced rapidly by pressure of the spring 29 into the feeding (chain-line) position. The feeder will thus supply its yarn to the needles until it reaches the cam 28 whereupon it will be withdrawn and will be locked in its withdrawn This sequence of operations will be repeated until the splice is completed whereupon the abutment 3! will be moved out of the path of the tail 28. Where the splicing is required to continue for say one-half of the circumference of the article being knitted, it is obvious that members 28 and 31 will be approximately diametrically opposite, considered in relation to the circle of needles.

In such a case the cam 28 need be only of small angular extent. Alternatively, the cam may serve to hold the feeder out of operation before the required portion of a knitting course without the aid of the catch such as 35, in which case the angular extent of cam 28 will wholly determine the period of inactivity.

The yarn from a'previous withdrawal will have been severed close to the last needle to take the yarn so as to leave only a small tail end projecting from the delivery eye l3 of the feeder. As will be seen from the chain-line position of the latter its feeding position is as close to the needlehooks as is possible having regard to mechanical considerations.

Figures 1 and 4 show in chain-lines in Figure 1 and in full-lines in Figure 4 the position at which the delivery eye I 3 is presented to the needles at the moment of introducing the yarn to the latter. The delivery eye l3 presents the free trailing end of yarn to a needle which has been partially drawn down by the stitch-cam so that its latch has commenced its closing movement. This is indicated in Figure l in the representation of a needle l2 where it will be seen that a previous loop shown in section at 39 has commenced to close the latch. Figure 4 shows the relative positions of the parts at a time momentarily after that represented in Figure 1, and it will be seen from Figure 4 that the previous loop 39 has beenmoved on its needle l2 by descent of that needle down the stitch-cam M2 to close the latch of the needle. As the lapse of time is only of amomentary extent in the movement of the needle from the position of Figure l the latch will be understood to have closed rapidly and in so doing will have whipped the free end of the yarn into the needle hook. It is found that the yarn becomes gripped (provided that the tail end is approximately long) with accuracy so as to be taken by the first and successive needles and drawn by them into knitted loops.

It will be understood that the portion I I of the feeder in Figure 4 corresponds to the part denotedby similar reference in Figure 1 and in 3 and in which the Figure 4 the remaining portion and its associated parts are to be understood as included. The movement of the feeder into the position of Figure 4 will effect release of the gripper substantially at the moment that the needle l2 takes the yarn, that is to say, the yarn will be fed to a needle and released thereto only when that needle is approaching the lower end of the stitchcam as shown in Figure 4 so that its latch has already commenced to close.

The cam- 28 may be adjustable angularly around the axis of the machine in order to determine the exact moment at which the feeder is to be withdrawn and in order to obtain this angular adjustment the cam is mounted by means of a bolt by which it is received in an elongated slot 40.

Wherever reference is made herein to move ments of parts suitable to a circular machine it will be understood that if the feeder is applied to a fiat frame machine the equivalent movement is intended.

It is possible to adjust the position of the free end of the spring plate or abutment 23 in the path of the movement of the gripper [9. This may be effected by means of the screw 33 by which the free end of the plate 23 can be retracted from or advanced towards the needlebed and also in a vertical direction. The purpose of this adjustment is to time the closing of the gripper lg on to the yarn it in the withdrawal stroke of the feeder, and it will be understood that until the gripper i9 has been closed on to the yarn by means of the plate 23 the yarn can run freely in the feeding direction between the jaw and the part 5 5. Pressure, however, of the end of the plate 23 on the gripper-jaw #9 serves to grip the yarn between the jaw and the part ll so as to prevent free running of the yarn.

The spring plate 23 can be replaced by any other abutment which may be either relatively fixed in relation to the movement of the feeder or may by any preferred means be brought into engagement with the gripper-jaw at the time required.

If the yarn is to be severed after it is withdrawn the gripper will be closed on to the yarn at the moment of or just prior to severance thereof.

In order to fulfill another improvement according to the invention the yarn-feeder and its associated yarn-gripper is combined with means to operate as or when the feeder is withdrawn to close the gripper at a time when the needle, which is the last one to take the yarn from the feeder,

is approximately at the knocking over point. If this is fulfilled it is found that the thread will be severed with accuracy close to the surface of the fabric. The means to close the feeder is in the example illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 constituted by the spring-plate 23 which, when the feeder is retracted into the full-line position, presses on the gripper-jaw [9 to clamp the yarn between it and the part ii. In accordance with this improvement, however, the movement of the feeder into the position at which the jaw will be closed by the spring-plate 23 is timed so that such a closing of the jaw takes place so that a breaking strain is imposed on the yarn as or immediately after the loop or loops formed in the previous course are being or have been knocked over on the needle which is the last to take the yarn suppliedby the feeder.

This is diagrammatically illustrated in Figures splicing yarn I6, which drawn loop has been knocked over the by movement of the feeder has now been withdrawn (as clearly shown in Figure from the feeding position after being taken by the needle 29, is to be understood as having applied to it by means of the gripper a breaking stress just at the moment that the previously formed loop has been knocked over. the needle E28 has reached a position on the stitch-cam HE approximately at the bottom of the latter and at this position the previously head of the needle and the new loop has been drawn. At this moment, the yarn E6 is lapped more or less sharply round, the bight of the previous loop in n dicated at 539 and will be snapped off close to the position where it is thus lapped round that loop.

Tests have demonstrated that the reason why the yarn is severed in this fashion is that the yarn is pulled sharply against the previous stitch or stitches much in the way that string can be broken by a sharp pull against a loop or length of string around which the string is turned.

When this system of breaking the yarn is employed no cutter is required and the severing takes place entirely by the pull on the yarn at the time specified above. The invention is particularly suitable for use on fine counts of yarn such, for example, as silk or artificial silk and fine cotton splicing yarns used in the lmitting of hosiery and like goods.

It will be appreciated that the slot 48 of cam 28 permits circumferential adjustment of the cam and consequently adjustment can be made as to the moment of withdrawal of the feeder in its passage past the needles. Consequently, the closing of the gripper jaw 19 on to the yarn l6 can be selectively determined to take place in relation to any particular needle at which severance of the yarn is desired. In timing the withdrawal op--. eration of the feeder and closure of the gripper allowance must be made for stretch which will occur in the yarn immediately prior to its severance by snapping. Thus, by a suitable adjustment in a circumferential direction of the position of cam 28 fancy splicing can be produced. In practice it is found that the yarn-feeder can be rapidly withdrawn, and if the spring-plate 23 is disposed with its outer or free end in the position illustrated in Figures 1 to 2 relatively to the feeding and non-feeding positions of the splicing yarn feeder, automatic severance of the yarn will take place leaving practically no free end thereof on the face of the fabric. Thus, the edge of the splice will be clearly demarked both at the commencement and at the termination of the splice and this improvement avoids a ragged or non-clearly defined demarcation of tl e line of the splice where the thread is withdrawn. In fact, the line of the splice is a very clean line and is approximately as clearly defined as is the line of commencement thereof.

It is to be understood that the means described herein and illustrated in the drawings for closing the gripper on to the yarn, means for moving the feeder, and the nature of the feeder movement are examples only of any constructions producing a similar result.

In the particular form illustrated, a very rapid removal of the yarn from the feeding position is brought about because as the feeder is swung about its pivot the feeding eye is not only retracted but is also lifted.

Although the combined feeder and yarn-gripper is particularly applicable for use as a splic- As seen from Figure 5,

ing yarn-feeder in accordance with the description given above, it is not limited to this particular purpose as it may be employed for feeding other yarns such as ground or patterning yarns.

We claim:-

1. In a knitting machine the combination of a movabl yarn-feeder capable of yarn-feeding and withdrawal movements, means for moving said feeder into and out of said feeding position, a yarn-gripper in juxtaposition with said yarnand movable therewith, an abutment in the pah of the gripper to engage and close the gripper at the moment the feeder is withdrawn, and means to adjust the abutment in the path of movement of the gripper to regulate the timing of the engagement between the abutment and the gripper as the feeder is moved.

2, For a knitting machine having a bed of needles and a stitch-earn to actuate said needles, the combination of a yarn-feeder, a yarn-gripper in juxtaposition therewith, to hold a free floating end of yarn extending from the feeder when the latter is in the non-feeding position, and feeder-actuating means timed to move the feeder into the feeding position to present the free end of yarn to a needle only when that needle is approaching the lower end of the stitch-cam and its latch has commenced to close but is not fully closed.

3. For a knitting machine having a bed of needles and a stitch-cam to actuate said needles, the combination of a movable yarn-feeder capable of yarn-feeding and withdrawal movements, a yarn gripper in juxtaposition and movable therewith to hold a free floating end of yarn extending from the feeder when the latter is in the non-feeding position, feeder withdrawal means, an abutment disposed in the path of the gripper to engage and close the latter during withdrawal movement of the feeder into the nonfeeding position, means to adjust the position of the abutment in the path of movement of the gripper, and feeder-actuating means timed to move the feeder into the feeding position to present the free end of the yarn to a needle only when that needle is approaching the lower end of the stitch-cam and its latch has commenced to close but is not fully closed.

l. For a yarn knitting machine having a bed of needles and a stitch-cam to actuate said needles, the combination of a movable yarnfeeder capable of yarn-feeding and withdrawal movements, a yarn-gripper associated therewith, feeder withdrawal means and means operating on the withdrawal of the feeder, to close the gripper on to the yarn substantially at the moment that the last needle to take the yarn has reached approximately the bottom of the stitchcam.

5. For a yarn knitting machine having a bed of needles and a stitch-cam to actuate said needles, the combination of a movable yarnfeeder capable of yarn-feeding and withdrawal movement, a yarn-gripper associated therewith, feeder withdrawal means and means to close the gripper on to the yarn when the last needle to take the yarn has reached the knocking-over point.

6. For a knitting machine, the combination of a movable yarn-feeder capable of yarn-feeding and withdrawal movements, a yarn-gripper in juxtaposition with said feeder and movable therewith, an abutment disposed in the path of the gripper to engage and close the latter during the feeder withdrawal movement, and means to adjust the abutment in the path of movement of the gripper, thereby to adjust the timing of the engagement between the abutment and the gripper, relatively to the feeder withdrawal movement.

7. For a knitting machine having a bed of needles and a stitch cam to actuate said needles, the combination of a movable yarn-feeder capable of yarn-feeding and withdrawal movements, a yarn gripper associated therewith and movable at least as the feeder is moved during withdrawal, feeder withdrawal means, means to close the gripper onto the yarn substantially at the moment that the last needle to take the yarn has reached approximately the bottom of the stitch cam, an abutment disposed in the path of the gripper to engage with and to serve as the means to close the gripper onto the yarn, and

means to adjust the position of the abutment in the path of movement of the gripper to adjust the timing of closure of the gripper onto the yarn relatively to the feeder movement.

8. For a knitting machine, the combination of a yarn feeder capable of yarn-feeding and withdrawal movements, a yarn gripper mounted upon the yarn feeder to be movable therewith, a gripper-closing abutment disposed in the path of movement of the gripper to operate thereon as the feeder is withdrawn, means to adjust the position of the abutment in the path of movement of the gripper thereby to adjust the timing of engagement between the abutment and the gripper relatively to the feeder movement.

HENRY HAROLD HOLMES. ROBERT HAROLD ROBINSON. 

